Title: MISTER LULLABY
Author: J.H. MARKERT
Narrators: DAVID BENDENA and LAUREN EZZO
Release Date: NOVEMBER 11, 2023
Genre: FICTION, HORROR
Length: 12 HOURS and 8 MINUTES
Publisher: DREAMSCAPE MEDIA
Received From: NETGALLEY
Rating: 5 OUT OF 5 STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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DESCRIPTION:
The small town of Harrod’s Reach has seen its fair share of the macabre, especially inside the decrepit old train tunnel around which the town was built. After a young boy, Sully Dupree, is injured in the abandoned tunnel and left in a coma, the townspeople are determined to wall it up. Deputy sheriff Beth Gardner is reluctant to buy into the superstitions until she finds two corpses at the tunnel’s entrance, each left with strange calling cards inscribed with old lullabies. Soon after, Sully Dupree briefly awakens from his coma.
Before falling back into his slumber, Sully manages to give his older brother a message. Sully’s mind, since the accident, has been imprisoned on the other side of the tunnel in Lalaland, a grotesque and unfamiliar world inhabited by evil mythical creatures of sleep. Sully is trapped there with hundreds of other coma patients, all desperately fighting to keep the evils of the dream world from escaping into the waking world.
Elsewhere, a man troubled by his painful youth has for years been hearing a voice in his head he calls Mr. Lullaby, and he has finally started to act on what that voice is telling him—to kill any coma patient he can find, quickly. Something is waking up in the tunnel—something is trying to get through. And Mr. Lullaby is coming.
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BARNES AND NOBLE IS PUBLISHING AN EXCLUSIVE PAPERBACK EDITION OF MISTER LULLABY – Click to see it here …
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MY REVIEW:
J.H. MARKERT is one twisted Son of a Gun. Don’t mistake that as criticism, instead, it is actually 100% a compliment.
This is the second horror novel from this author I’ve read and I am quickly becoming a huge fan. In December of 2022 I posted a 5 Star review of THE NIGHTMARE MAN and MISTER LULLABY is just as amazing as that first book.
LINK TO MY REVIEW OF THE NIGHTMARE MAN…..
One of the best things about this book is the character-building. J.H. Markert has an uncanny knack for creating believable characters.
Although this is a horror story, the author doesn’t rely on cheap tactics such as bloody gore to keep the readers attention, instead, he carefully crafts the entire world his characters inhabit. This world-building is one of the reasons his stories are so terrifying… they come across to the reader as entirely possible. That is absolutely terrifying.
With so many books on the market, and so many authors writing ‘horror’ novels, it takes a truly talented and exceptional author to create more than one book that warrants a rating of 5+ out of 5 Stars, J.H. Markert is that one in a million author and I will buy every book he writes.
I rate MISTER LULLABY with the highest rating possible. If I could give this book a rating of more than 5 out of 5 Stars, I would definitely do so.
DAVID BENDENA and LAUREN EZZO were the perfect choices to narrate the audiobook version of MR. LULLABY. Their voices compliment each other and both have an incredible sense of pacing. Not only that, but it seems to me they were invested in creating not just narration, but an experience for the listener.
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND to anyone and everyone who enjoys the genres of horror and/or thrillers, need to buy not only MISTER LULLABY, but also THE NIGHTMARE MAN. I guarantee that you will become as big of a fan as I am.
5+ out of 5 Stars ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
*** Thank you to #NetGalley #Dreamscape and #JHMarkert for providing me with a free copy of this audiobook. ***
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
J.H. Markert is the pen name for writer James Markert, an award-winning novelist, produced screenwriter, husband, and father of two from Louisville, Kentucky, where he was also a tennis pro for 25 years, before hanging up the racquets for good in 2020.
He graduated with a degree in History from the University of Louisville in 1997 and has been writing ever since.
James Markert:
(Copied from his website)
James was raised in a household where creativity thrived, paintings and stained-glass windows beautified the walls, and the arts were as regular as the seasons. This upbringing will forever be his muse. James has a history degree from the University of Louisville, where, in his senior year, he was awarded a scholarship as the school’s most outstanding history major. He won an IPPY Award for The Requiem Rose, which was later published by Sourcebooks as A White Wind Blew.
James has ideas for future novels that run the gamut of history from time periods and topics like Charles Dickens, Jekyll and Hyde, Prohibition, the Dust Bowl, the Sixties, both World Wars, the Golden Age of Magicians, and a series on Medieval Cathedral building.
James is the writer and co-producer of the feature film/tennis comedy 2nd Serve, starring several actors from popular television shows like Scandal, The Big Bang Theory, Gotham, Cougar Town, Shameless, and Ray Donovan.
James is also a USPTA tennis pro, and has coached dozens of kids who’ve gone on to play college tennis in top conferences like the Big 10, the Big East, and the ACC. He lives with his wife and two children in Louisville, KY.
Favorite Authors: Stephen King, John Irving, Ken Follett, Pat Conroy, Wally Lamb, George R.R. Martin, Elizabeth Strout, Dennis Lehane, Greg Iles, Anne Rice, Hillary Mantel, Carlos Ruiz Zafon.
Favorite Books: The Stand, The Cider House Rules, The Alienist, Pillars of the Earth, Beach Music, I know This Much is True, The Burgess Boys, The Shadow of the Wind, A Song of Ice and Fire Series.
Favorite Music: U2, Pearl Jam, Cold Play, REM, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Killers, Mozart, Muse, Dave Matthews.
Favorite Shows: Game of Thrones, Justified, Deadwood, Rome, Peaky Blinders, Boardwalk Empire, Breaking Bad, Band of Brothers, The Tudors.
Favorite Movies: Shawshank Redemption, Good Will Hunting, Dead Poets Society, Signs, A Very Long Engagement, Amadeus, Gangs of New York, Sleepers, Saving Private Ryan, Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven, Seven
To learn more about this author visit the following links:
OFFICIAL WEBSITE
https://jamesmarkert.com
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ABOUT THE NARRATORS:
ABOUT DAVID BENDENA:
To learn more about this Narrator visit the following links:
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ABOUT LAUREN EZZO:
Voice Range: Teen, 20s-30s, Senior
Accents: American English, British English, Australian/ So. African English, American South, Canadian, Cockney, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Indian, Irish, Italian, Middle Eastern, Midwest, Russian, Scandinavian, Scottish, Yorkshire
Genres: Children’s, Comedy, Nonfiction, Romance, Young Adult, Fiction, Science Fiction
Awards: AudioFile Earphones, ALA, SOVAS
Equipment: Home Studio, ISDN
Post Production Services: Home Studio, Editing
To learn more about this narrator visit the following links:
OFFICIAL WEBSITE
https://www.laurenezzo.com
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ABOUT THE PUBLISHER:
Dreamscape Media has published hundreds of bestselling audiobooks that range from motivational self-help to suspenseful mysteries – swoon worthy romance to captivating non-fiction, Dreamscape has something for every listener!
To learn more about this Publisher visit the following links:
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NARRATOR DAVID BENDENA:
https://youtu.be/Ind3s36SliI?si=7CHV0KtM7Q5VfO5b
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Amie's Book Reviews 